Dragonshard
by SeriasofKondor
Summary: This is an original story in the D and D format! Check it out and give me a review.
1. Chapter 1

Before you begin reading I would like to note a few things. First, this story has NOTHING to do with the video game Dragonshard.

Second, there might be some inconsistancies since I have not done much editing yet. Please review and tell me anything you see.

Third, Enjoy!

Chapter 1

Serias Ascorath trudged through the underbrush of the forest as the beams of light that poked through the trees dimmed. "The sun must be setting," He thought to himself.

He tried to remember what day it was, but he had long since forgotten. He expected he'd spent about a year in the forest, searching for the ruins of Kezer, where the dragonshard, the birthplace of all magic, was rumored to be.

A soft growl caught Serias's ear. He roused himself from his thoughts and looked around. In front of him stood a cougar. Its red eyes stared into his, and its razor white teeth began to show. Serias calmly put his hand on the hilt of his sword. The cougar's leg twitched and it pounced straight for him. Serias grabbed the sword and swung it in an upward arc to meet the creature. There was sharp crack; a flash of blue light, and the cougar was thrown into a tree trunk behind it. The sound it made could be heard for miles. The frightened creature stood up, gave the half-elf a last glance and than ran back into the darkening forest, apparently going to hunt easier prey.

Serias reached into his pack and pulled out a scroll. It was an old scroll given to him by one of his friends, that when activated created an unbreakable shield of magic. He unrolled the musty parchment and read the magic words inscribed in the canvas. The ink glowed white and a barrier of light formed around his body. He sat down and leaned against a massive oak tree, and watched as the small stream of sunlight that still shone was engulfed by the canopy. To his right the lights of a town could be seen through the trees. It was his home, and if all went well he would be back tomorrow. He closed his eyes and drifted off into sleep.

Serias stepped past the trees and into a clearing where the intense sunlight momentarily blinded him. He reached up and covered his eyes, unaware that someone stood in front of him.

"Wandering through a dark forest for a year will usually make your eyes forget sunlight", a friendly voice greeted him.

Serias turned to find who was there but he couldn't see. "Who's there?" he asked.

"You don't even recognize your best friend's voice?" the person replied," Serias I'm hurt," Serias still didn't know who he was talking to. "You have spent way to much time in the forest," The person kept talking," It's been way to long since we've seen you,"

"Wait, Halath?" Serias asked. His vision was improving and now he could see the elf's face.

"The one and only!"

Serias stepped forward and hugged the elf. Halath laughed.

"It is good to be back" Serias said, and let go of the elf.

"And it is good to have you back," Halath replied," but right now we need to go to Talon, some of the others will join us there."

The walk to Talon was short, only through a meadow and a small hill.

When they reached the top of the hill, Serias stopped, looked upon the small valley city of Talon and then resumed walking.

Serias opened the door to the tavern and was overwhelmed by music and laughter. He pushed through the crowd that had assembled there and found a seat at a table near the door. Halath pulled up a chair across from him. The barmaid approached him.

"What will it be?" she asked.

"Nothing for me." Serias said

"Nothing for me, either." said Halath.

"I'll take a large ale!" a loud voice said from behind them.

Serias and Halath turned to find a large man standing over them, wearing a suit of armor. It was Aler, one of their oldest friends.

"Ha ha! Serias did come back after all!" he yelled. The big man embraced Serias in a hug that cut off his air.

"Aler, put me down!" Serias managed to choke out.

"Sorry, "Aler said, and set Serias down, "I'm just glad you're back. Where are the others?" he asked as he turned to Halath.

"Relok is on his way from Sunlace City. Nalor and Cassi were riding from west of the Silent Mountains, but I heard it snowed quite a bit up there, so they may not be here for one or two days. As for Milani, she should be here. Halath began to look around.

"So, what of you?" Aler asked Serias. "Did you find the ruins?"

"No, but I did find a clue that could lead me to it." Serias revealed from his cloak, a map.

They spread it out over the table. It was old. The black ink that once covered it neatly was smudged in most places, making it hard to read. The edges were torn and the usefulness of the map seemed little to Aler and Halath.

"This map is older than the forest itself!" Halath cried. "There is no mention of the forest at all! I'm sorry Serias, but I think this map is useless. The underbrush has probably covered the ruins completely!" said Halath. Serias didn't care.

"I'm still going after it," said Serias.

"I actually came back to see if you guys would come with me, but I guess that I'll have to wait a couple of days." He leaned back in his chair.

"I'll go with you," Halath said.

"Same here," said Aler

The barmaid slammed Aler's ale down, spilling some of it on the table.

"That'll be two gold pieces," she said.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

The three friends stepped out of the tavern and into the cool night air.

"I didn't see Milani anywhere in there," Halath said.

"She probably went home," Serias replied. "Which is what I'd better do."

Serias walked along the path that led to his home. The moon and stars shone bright enough to light the ground beneath him. When he reached his house he was surprised to find it in perfect condition. He thought that leaving it for a year would do some damage to it.

"Halath must have been here," he whispered to himself.

He opened the door and walked inside. He was home.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

When Serias returned to the tavern the next morning, Aler and Halath were already there, sitting at a table in the middle of the room. The bar owner had lit a fire in the fireplace which kept the small room warm. Sitting with them was also a figure cloaked in a huge blue cloak that covered the person's body.

"It must be Milani," he thought.

He pulled up a chair next to Aler.

"I see you three were waiting for me!" he laughed.

"I remembered that you had no food, so we figured you'd be here trying to choke down some of this garbage," Halath told Serias as he poked a piece of bread sitting in front of him. He sighed.

"They could at least make sure that the stuff isn't alive,"

Serias looked down at the bread on the plate. He took a piece and ate it. It wasn't the best he'd ever had, but it was better than nothing.

"Hurry up and eat," Halath said. "We need to get back to my house, Relok got in last night but he is injured. Cuts and bruises are all over him. His horse is pretty beat up too."

"What happened?" Serias asked.

The cloaked figure finally spoke, "He was in a battle," a young woman's voice said.

"We don't know when or where though,"

Serias recognized the voice, "Thanks Milani," he said.

Then he had a second question. "Why was Relok in Sunlace city anyway?" he asked.

"He told us that he was going to buy some supplies he needed, but I don't think that was true," Aler said.

"What else could he have been doing?" Serias asked as he swallowed another piece of bread.

"I think he wanted to join the Milotian army," Halath said. "I think he knows war is coming, Serias," Halath sighed, "While you were gone Kanmeir sent us messages, messages saying that they will take what is theirs," he looked down, "Some of the High Wizards have decided that a king has returned to Kanmeir and he wants to take back the land that was stolen from them."

"And the others?" Serias asked.

"They believe that their leader is after the dragonshard,"

"But why does that have anything to do with Milotia?"

"The High Wizard of Knowledge suggested that they think that Milotia has the dragonshard,"

"Do we have any idea what they are?" Serias asked, "Are they Humans? Elves?"

"We have no idea, we are guessing that they are a force of humans from the south," Milani said.

"When I left the only people in Kanmeir were our soldiers, are you trying to tell me that none of them made it back?"

"Only one, but he came back crazed, and was unable to tell us what exactly he saw,"

"Well then it probably wasn't humans," Serias said.

"Relok should be conscious when we get back, maybe he will have some answers for us," Milani said. She stood up, "I will go see if he is up, come to my house when you are done here,"

"So what is the plan for the rest of the day?" He asked.

"I was going to ride the ocean route to Tier for some supplies, and I was going to see if Cassi and Nalor are there," Aler said.

Halath looked at Serias' tattered robes, "It looks like you could use some new equipment," Halath said.

Serias looked down at the robes; they were ripped along the bottom, and had slashes through the arms.

"I think you're right," He said.

"Well, lets get you some new gear, and then we'll go to my house and see if Relok is up,"

"That works for me," Serias said," We'll see you when you get back from Tier Aler," With that, he and Halath stood up and left the tavern.

………………………………………………………………………………...

The local blacksmith was on the other side of town, nearer to Milani's house. When they walked in, Danies Aab, the owner, came over to them.

Danies was huge. He stood way beyond six feet, and probably weighed close to 400 pounds. He towered over both Serias and Halath.

"Ha Ha! So the great Serias Ascorath has returned to our humble city!" he said in a booming voice.

"Great?" Serias asked.

"There has been a rumor flying around town that you were in Kondor fighting dragons," Halath whispered.

"Now of course I don't believe a word of it," Danies said," I told them all, I've known that boy for years, and he wouldn't go after a dragon, he's not that stupid!" He ruffled Serias' hair.

"Thanks a lot Danies," Serias said.

"Anytime!" He said, and walked off to go help another customer.

"Any idea who started that rumor?" Serias asked Halath, cocking an eyebrow.

"None at all," Halath smiled.

"Sure,"

………………………………………………………………………………...

After having to borrow seventeen gold pieces from Halath in order to buy his equipment, the two friends headed towards Milani's house.

They found the door open, and they walked inside. Milani's house was dark, and many of the doors were shut tight.

"Hey Milani," Serias said," Where are you?"

"Back here," Milani yelled from the back room.

Serias and Halath found Relok still unconscious, cuts all over him, bruises everywhere.

"My god," Serias said.

Quietly Milani cast a spell, and another wound healed itself.

"The major injuries are taken care of," She said," But he still hasn't woken up,"

Serias pulled one of the wooden chairs over to the bed, and sat down by Relok's head.

"What was the worst injury?" He asked.

"Three broken bones in his neck, and a long cut across his stomach,"

"Will he be o.k?"

"Physically he will be fine, but it looks like some sort of spell hit him, which was part of what caused him to be unconscious when he reached Talon,"

Serias looked up at Relok's neck, and spotted three slashes right in a row, like Relok had been attacked by an animal.

"What are these cuts?" He asked.

"I think that whoever attacked him had some sort of animal with it, probably a wolf or other dog,"

Serias looked at the cuts again; they looked to long for a dog.

………………………………………………………………………………

All three of them sat around Relok's bed for hours, trying to get Serias caught up on the last year.

The king of Kondor, Alax Ahrebor, had died of natural causes, but had left no line behind. His right hand, Exar Linor, took over control of the country, and converted it to a democracy. Linor had been elected as their first leader, and as his first move, defeated the goblin armies in eastern Kondor. Unfortunately, he had also broken all contact with Milotia.

Suddenly, in the middle of their conversation, Relok sat bolt up and yelled.

Halath immediately pushed him back down. Relok was stronger than Halath, and he easily shoved him away. Serias jumped in and pushed him down again.

"Relok! Stay down!" He said. Finally realizing where he was, Relok calmed down.  
"Where are they?" He growled, "Where are those monsters?"

"Where are who?" Milani asked as she helped Halath to his feat.

"The mutants,"  
"Mutants?" Serias asked, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"They attacked us at Celes pass,"

"Who!?" Serias asked again.

"They must be some necromancer's idea of a joke," He said, "They were tall, with wings like dragons," He said, "They were all casting spells," He continued,"

Serias looked up at Milani.

"What do you think they are?" He asked her.

She ignored him, and asked Relok," How many of them were there?"

"There were at least five hundred," He said, "they filled the entire pass; our garrison couldn't hold them back,"

"Do you have any idea where they are going?" Milani asked.

"Sunlace City,"

Serias laughed.

"No one could take Sunlace!" He said, "In three hundred years no enemy has ever set foot in there,"

"Serias," Relok said, "there has never been an enemy like this,"

Serias stared at Relok in disbelief.

"Surely they aren't that powerful, and besides, you said that there are only five hundred of them,"

"It was midnight when they attacked; for all I know, there could be five thousand of them,"

"I still don't think that they could take Sunlace, and you said that they all were casting spells. I doubt that, since there has never been a gathering of more that a hundred magic-users in one place, am I right Milani?"

"No," She said, "There was once an army of magic users. They were the original inhabitants of Milotia, the people that we took the continent from,"

"But they must be gone now," Serias said.

"It was thought that they were, but having heard Relok's description, I believe that they have returned to claim the land that was once theirs," Milani explained.

"But how have they raised themselves from the dead,"

"A group of them survived?" Milani shrugged," I don't know,"

"So what are they?"

"Half-dragons," She said, "They are called Maliryuth, and have the blood of dragons in them, so they can use magic, and they also gain the benefit of wings,"

"If this is true, then we need to warn Sunlace, maybe pick up some help on the way," Halath suggested.

"That's a good idea," Serias said

From the front of the house there was a large bang.

Aler walked into the house, drenched in rain, and sat down in front of the door.

Serias came out to meet him

"Hey, are you alright?" He asked.

"I'm fine," He said, and coughed," it took them awhile, but Cassi and Nalor are here, they're waiting for you guys at the tavern. Is Relok up?"

"Yeah, he's in the back, listen, when you are done here meet us at the tavern, we have to talk with you," He said quietly," Milani! Halath! Cassi and Nalor are here!"

Both of them came out from the back room.

"Where?" Halath asked.

"They're at the tavern," He said.

"Awesome, let's go see them," Halath said.

"Relok needs to stay here," Milani told Aler.

"When he calms down, both of you come down," Serias told Aler, "Let's go," He said to Halath and Milani.

The trip back to the tavern was a short one. The rain had subsided a little by the time they reached it, and the moon was now visible, and the brilliant light illuminated the ground.

It was cold though. Serias pulled the door open to the tavern and sighed as warm air poured out and onto him.

He stepped inside and began searching the crowd for two familiar elven faces. He spotted sitting in a corner talking with each other.

Serias led Halath and Milani through the tightly packed crowd, and sat down next to Cassi.

Serias had always felt comfortable around Cassi. He had always thought of her as one of his best friends, above Aler, Milani, Relok and even Nalor. He figured that this was because she was the second friend he had ever had. As a kid he ran away from his family. When he was 15 he met Halath and his family, who took him in. He met Cassi and Nalor through Halath. He had introduced them soon after he had started staying with them. He and Nalor had not gotten along very well for a while, but he and Cassi had been friends from the start. Now, as adults, he and Nalor had become friends, and joined up with Aler, Relok and Milani.

"Long time no see!" He said.

"Not long enough," Cassi said, smiling.

"That's cold," he said, "Maybe I'll get a better response from Nalor?"

"Yeah! Even if my sister wants to be a jerk, I'll say that it's nice to have our leader back!" he bowed to Serias jokingly.

"Leader?" Serias asked, "I couldn't lead a pack of hungry dogs to meat!"

"Well, what does that make us?" He asked, motioning to Halath, Milani and himself, "We all went separate ways when you left," He said, "I truly believe that the only reason that we are together now is that you're back!"

"No way," Serias said, and shook his head.

"It's true Serias," Cassi said," the only reason that we're here now is because you were supposed to be back,"

"Hey! What about us!" Someone said.

Serias turned around in his seat to find Relok standing behind him.

"Don't' I have anything to do with it?" He asked.

Nalor laughed," Yeah right! Like anyone would come back for you," He said sarcastically.

Relok walked over to Nalor and punched him in the arm. Not hard, just a friendly punch.

"By the way, what happened to you?" Nalor asked, pointing to the bandage on his neck.

"I was attacked at Celes pass," He said, "Milani would be able to explain better,"

Nalor turned to Milani.

She began to explain the whole situation to Nalor.

"Where's Aler?" Serias asked him, after waiting for the warrior to come in.

"He went to grab the horses that he bought in Tier," Relok said.

As he said this, Aler burst through the door of the tavern and ran to their table.

"The town is under attack!" He said," They're burning it!"

"Are you kidding?" Serias asked him.

Aler just stared at him.

"Alright," Serias said.

All of them stood up quickly, and unsheathed their weapons.

"Everyone," Serias said to the crowded tavern, as the civilians cowered at the sight of the weapons, "Flee the city. We are under attack!"

He and his companions left the building, and headed towards the main part of the city.

Over the hill they could see the light from the flames bouncing off the clouds of smoke. Relok got to the top of the hill first. He turned back to them.

"Run!" He yelled, and started sprinting the other way," It's Maliryuth!"

Serias followed Relok as he sprinted towards the woods, and the Silent Mountains.

The seven companions made it into the trees and stopped in the pitch black to catch their breath.


	2. Chapter 2

Ch. 2

"What are we going to do now?" Serias asked Relok between breaths.

"We need to get to the mountains, there is an old Milotia fort hidden there. It is abandoned, so it will be safe," Relok replied.

Suddenly an arrow shot past Serias. It barely missed Milani, and stuck in a tree.

"Spread out!" Serias yelled. He jumped over a bush and laid behind it in the dirt. He unsheathed his sword. The magic sword that Serias had glowed a deep red because evil magic users were around.

He ran and ducked behind a tree. While moving he had seen Milani cast a light spell on a bush to give them light to fight in.

Serias took a breath and ran around the tree and into the battle. He spotted a wing to his right. He swung his sword just in time to block the incoming blade. The swords met in mid-air with a clang, and Serias got his first look at a Maliryuth. It stood about six feet tall. It wore a chain shirt and long deer hide pants. Its face was that of a human, except for the ears. They were long and pointed. The wings spread about 4 ft. They were red and black. He didn't get a chance to see more, because he was engaged in a sword fight. He finally caught the beast off guard and he kicked it in the chest.

It fell to the ground. Serias took the chance to swiftly stick his sword into its chest. With a burst of strength he pulled away. Then he went to help his companions kill the remaining 3 Maliryuth.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Serias walked over to one of the dead creatures. He took its chain shirt and put it on.

"Serias," Relok yelled from the river, "We need to go, and once the other Maliryuth find out that these guys are gone they are going to start looking for them!"

Serias walked down the bank until he was on the edge of the river. Then he ran to catch up with his friends who were already making their way through the trees.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Serias awoke the next morning when something cold landed on his nose. He opened his eyes and watched snow fall on him. He cursed himself for falling asleep on lookout as he stood and awoke the others from their sleep. Then he went to the forest to cut some firewood.

When he returned he got a small fire going, even through the snow. Meanwhile Aler tried to catch a fish in the river using a stick and a bit of wire that he found in his pocket. Not likely in the cold weather, but it was worth a try. The others sat around the fire. All the while snow was piling up around them.

"Hey Milani!" He said," Do you know any spells to get rid of snow?"

Everyone laughed except for Milani.

A few minutes later Cassi said," I'll start packing our equipment. We might need to leave quickly," She walked off and started gathering the equipment.

"HA!" Aler yelled, "I get one!"

Serias looked over at Cassi. As she picked up some of there equipment Serias could see a tear run down her face. Quietly he stood up and walked over to her.

"Do you need any help?" He asked. She looked up at him.

"No thanks," She sniffed, and wiped the tear away.

He leaned down and threw a sword into the bag that Aler had.

"Are you going to be o.k.?" He asked her.

She shook her head. "Things won't ever be o.k. again,"

………………………………………………………………………………………………

The small band of warriors trudged through the foot of snow that covered the ground. The river had finally turned away from the forest and they had started following it uphill.

Serias looked up at the peaks of the Silent Mountains. Once this had been a major trade route between Talon and Treqment, but after the Milotian Civil War the way had been destroyed, and the pass was now inhabited by the spirits of the people who had died in battle. Serias hoped that they were not going to go through that way. He shuddered at the thought.

"Serias!" Relok yelled, "You should come see this!"

Serias ran up the hill to where Relok stood. Relok pointed down into a huge dip in the land. At the bottom of the valley were two orcs fighting each other while three others watched.

"It looks like we're going around," Serias said.

That must have caught the orcs attention, because when Serias looked back, the orcs were charging them; they also had five others following them.

"Everyone," Serias said, "Get ready"

Serias heard Milani cast a spell, and a fire arrow shot down the hill and into the chest of one of the far orcs.

"Nice shot Milani," Serias said quickly.

He reached down and unsheathed his sword, and aimed it out, it was glowing deep red.

"What?" Serias asked as a shock of lightning hit him. He fell to the ground, unconscious.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Serias groaned and opened his eyes slowly. He blinked twice to clear his vision. He looked around and discovered that he and his companions were in a cell.

After looking around some more he determined that they were in a cave somewhere.

"Those orcs must have taken us into the mountains," He thought.

He stood up and searched the inside of the cell. Nothing. He walked over to the cell's gate. He looked down the halls. It was silent. No sounds at all.

He thought for a second about how to get out, then he had it. He muttered a few magic words. He looked at the lock on the door. He reached down and touched it. The door slid opened at his touch. He woke the others and explained their situation.

"We are probably in some sort of cave," He told them, "I think we are probably on one of the lower levels,"

"We should try to find a way out of here," Cassi prompted.

"No, really?" Nalor asked.

"Alright," Serias said, "Let's go,"

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Vadre Balist, one of the generals of Kanmeir's Maliryuth army, sat at his desk in the orc's cave. He heard the footsteps and growls from an orc as it entered the room.

"Sir, we captured a group of trespassers. There are four elves, two humans and a half-elf; we thought you might be interested,"

Vadre's heart jumped at the mention of a half-elf.

"What does this half-elf look like?" He asked.

"Small and weak," The orc laughed.

Irritated, Vadre said, "Bring him to me,"

……………………………………………………………………………………………...

Serias and his companions explored the cave. Finally they found a way to get to the next floor.

Serias stood at the stone door that blocked their way.

"When we get inside, everyone needs to find equipment," Serias said, "Milani, kill anything that moves,"

He reached for the door handle, but before he could open the door four orcs pushed it open from the other side. They froe at the sight of the group. Serias kicked the leader in the face. Aler tackled the smallest one, and Milani cast a spell to blind a third. The fourth dodged a blow from Cassi, but was unable to stop an attack from Halath.

Serias kicked the sword from his orc's hand and ran to get it. He felt a kick hit his leg and he went down hard. It took him a minute to catch his breath, and when he stood up he immediately had to duck again to avoid the sword that the orc leader had swung at him.

Once the sword was over his head he stood up and grabbed the orc's sword arm. Not a good idea. Serias was then thrown back down the stairs by orc's incredible strength. The orc ran down the stairs until it stood over him. It lifted it's longsword to bring down on him, but it never got the chance.

A ball of fire and a missile of white magic hit the orc from behind and sent it rolling down the stairs. Serias picked himself up off the small landing and re-entered the battle. He, Halath, and Cassi took out two of the orcs, and Milani and Nalor took out another. Another orc had joined the fray at some point, and Aler had stolen his sword, and was about to plunge it into the orc's chest.

"Wait!" Serias said.

Aler turned to look at Serias with a surprised look on his face.

"Why?" He asked.

"He may be able to answer our questions," He replied.

He shifted his attention to the orc.

"Why did you capture us?" Serias asked the orc.

The orc looked at Serias. "Were ordered to," It replied.

"By who?" Serias asked.

The orc suddenly ripped its arms from Relok's grip. It jumped at Aler, and impaled itself on Aler's sword.

Aler dropped the sword, which pushed further into the orc when it hit the ground.

"Damn it!" Serias said, and rolled the orc over to take the sword. "Collect any weapons you can find," He ordered.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

The companions walked through the stone hallways of the caves. Serias studied the inscriptions on the wall with interest. They were written in an old version of the basic language. He read them and learned of an ancient race of dragons called the Celber, who now lived in Dragon Country, an area of Milotia that only dragons inhabited. He would have to study this more. He looked ahead and watched an orange light cover the wall.

"Everyone down this hall," He whispered urgently as he ducked down a different passageway. He stopped and waited for the two orcs to pass. As they passed Serias heard one of them say, "Where is Gorg, he should've had the half-elf up to Lord Vadre by now," it growled. After they passed, the seven escapees continued down the empty hall.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Serias ran ahead to check around a corner and was faced with an enormous chamber. It was probably 100 yards long and about a hundred feet high.

Serias walked into the room and looked around. The room looked as if it were a meeting place for thousands of people. He walked back into the hall,

"All clear," He yelled.

There was no response.

He walked back down the hall.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Vadre walked swiftly through the dark prison halls. He would need to be at the prison when the half-elf reached it.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

The maze of the cave was starting to get on Serias's nerves. The dead ends, the three way intersections. Finally, after passing one door, he felt a prickle on the back of his neck. He stopped and opened the door.

"Serias!" Milani's voice rang out.

Serias ducked in time to avoid a flail as it was swung through the air. Serias stood up again and dove to the right. He looked up and saw a Maliryuth standing in the middle of the room.

"Hello half-elf," The half-dragon said.

"Who are you?" Serias asked.

"I am the general of the Maliryuthian army," It said, "But does it matter?" He asked as he swung the flail again, but this time Serias was ready. In one swift motion he unsheathed his sword and caught the chain of the flail in mid air.

"Bring it on Maliryuth," He said.

The Maliryuth dropped the flail and unsheathed his own sword.

"You will die, half- elf," It said.

The Maliryuth brought it's sword down on Serias, but his attack was halted by Serias's blade. It was then that the Maliryuth was thrown back against the wall by a spell.

Serias took his chance to cut the bands that held Cassi against the wall. Then he spun and moved to attack the Maliryuth, but his vision went black and something kicked him in the stomach. He felt his back hit the wall and he fell to the ground.

……………………………………………………………………………………………...

Serias groaned when he woke up. His back felt as if a block of stone was set upon it. He opened his eyes and realized that he was outside. The cold air blew by slowly. The sun was out now, and the snow that had covered the ground last time he was outside was gone. He sat up and saw his companions sitting on the edge of a cliff. He stood up and slowly walked over to them. He looked over the cliff and had to hold back a yell of shock.

Thousands of Maliryuth were marching up the mountain and into the cave.

"Serias," Relok said, "We have to go to Sunlace City, we have to warn them,"


	3. Chapter 3

Ch. 3

The group traveled south from the mountains and straight into the city of Treqment. They had to slow down when they ran into a party of Maliryuth, but they found a different way around. Although the way was steeper and more dangerous, it was just as quick. At one point Milani had almost fallen from the side of a cliff that circled around the mountain, but Relok caught her before she fell.

When they reached Treqment, only a little light could push through the thick clouds above them, but in the distance the clouds broke, and Serias could see blue sky. They entered the boundaries of the city and began walking down the road, under Aler's lead, to the stables.

Treqment was a small city of mostly small stone buildings. To the north of the city were the Silent Mountains; to the south were the vast plains of Milotia, which stretched from Treqment and Enis all the way down to the southern coast. To the west was Dragon Country, and to the east the mighty Milotian city of Enis.

They continued down the cobblestone street at a good pace. Ahead of them the sign for the stables stuck out from the other buildings. The large wooden horse on top of it drew all the attention from passerby. It was also one of the few wood buildings.

The group walked into the small main shop of the stables. All sorts of equipment hung from nails in the wooden walls. At the counter a large man sat and drank from a large mug. As they approached he slammed the glass down and burped.

"What do you want?" He asked sharply.

"We're looking to buy some horses," Serias replied.

"Well, you're in the right place," The shopkeeper said, and stood up.

He walked to the back door and turned to them.

"Well, follow me," He said.

They followed the man through the stables, past the horses that stood inside.

"Tell me if you see any that you might want," He said.

Serias looked around at the horses that were available. He finally stopped at one in the far corner. It was a beautiful colt with a white and brown body that bore many different designs. The creature was also muscular, and looked stronger than the other horses here. It lay on the ground and napped until Serias approached it. The colt stood and eyed him with a bit of suspicion.

"You don't need to worry," He said to the creature.

The colt seemed to believe him, and lay down again.

"Is this one for sale?" He asked the shopkeeper.

"For five hundred gold it is," the man said, "This horse is the finest of any that we have,"

It was then that Serias realized that they had no money.

"Is there anyway to earn these horses from you?" He asked.

"Well, I have been having trouble with some thieves stealing my horses. If you can find them and kill their leader, I'll give you seven of my better horses, including this beauty," The shopkeeper said.

"We'll be back," Serias said, and left the shop, followed by his friends. Quickly Serias began walking towards the center of the city.

"How exactly do you plan to find those thieves?" Aler asked as he struggled to keep up with Serias's fast pace.

"I used to be part of their group," He said with a smile, "and I think I know where they are,"

He picked up his pace even faster.

"If they are still changing their meeting place every six months that should be …." He stopped in the city's center plaza.

"There," He pointed down the road into the flat plains outside the city.

"Now finding the base will be easy," He said.

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Two hours later the little group walked over the golden hills with no luck on finding the base.

"Maybe they changed the way of choosing new bases," He said.

To the west the sun sank low in the sky.

"Serias, I think we should head back to Treqment," Nalor yelled from another hill.

"Why?" Serias yelled back.

"Maliryuth to the west!"

Serias ran full speed, trailed by Cassi and Halath, to the spot where Nalor was. Serias looked the way that Nalor was pointing.

Smoke rose in a small column to block part of the sun.

"That's not Maliryuth," Serias said, "That's the fire from a camp!"

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By the time the companions reached the small camp the sun had hidden itself behind the mountains. Serias quietly stepped behind a bush and ducked down. He watched through the bush, 6 men around the fire work on various things. He turned his head to find possible hiding spots. He spotted a couple more bushes to his left that were out of sight of the men.

He snuck back to where his group stood, about 100 yards from the fire.

"Alright, Cassi, Nalor, you go to the right and wait for Milani to cast a spell. Milani, go to the left, when you see me cast my light spell, go. Relok and Aler will come with me. Don't try to kill them, just knock them unconscious," He looked around at the group, "Let's go,"

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A short battle later the companions searched the small camp for any indication of where the main base was, but they could find no letters, maps, or anything else useful. The battle had been quick and all six thieves now lay on the ground, unconscious.

Serias opened one of the six tents and looked around. Not much caught his eye except for some gold, which he took, and then set back down. He wasn't a thief anymore.

"Hey Serias," He heard Halath yell, "Come out here!"

Serias pushed the tents flap back and noticed his group was circled around one of the thieves. He saw the young man's eyes open and a low moan escaped his throat. The thieve was only a young kid, probably no more than 17 or 18 years old.

Once the kid realized where he was he sat straight up and reached for a sword. Relok kicked him back, connecting with his rib cage.

"Don't even think about it," He growled.

The kid rolled over in pain, "What do you want?" He asked through a gasp.

Where is your base?" Milani asked.

"Wait a second Milani," Serias said. He leaned down next to the kid and asked, "First, what's your name," He asked him.

Their prisoner was silent for a moment, and then he turned over again, still rubbing his chest. He sat calmly and studied each of them.

"My name is Kayes Stave, and as you seem to know, I'm a member of the Peltist thieves, but…..

"Let me guess," Serias interrupted, "you joined to earn some quick money, but now they won't let you leave,"

"How did you know?" The young man asked.

"The same thing happened to me," Serias explained, "but I managed to get away," he studied the boy, looking for any scars, "It looks like you haven't tried yet,"

"Not yet," Kayes responded, "I've been to scared,"

"And you have a right to be, with a large crime syndicate like the Peltists," Serias said, "It isn't a bright idea to get involved with them in the first place, but there are ways of getting out,"

"Can you help me?" Kayes asked.

"Only if you can help us first,"

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"I don't think this is a good idea," Milani told Serias quietly, "I don't trust him,"

The group hid on the top of a hill that gave them a perfect view of the base.

The small stone entrance blended in perfectly with the surroundings. At first glance you would never know it was there. At second glance you would realize that there was a compound in this small valley, and at third glance you would notice there was a hill that stretched from the entrance to the compound out, indicating that the base stretched further than it seemed into the ground.

Because of the darkness nobody could tell if anyone was guarding it, but they heard people. Every now and then they'd hear a soft whisper.

"O.K. everyone," Serias said in the quietist voice that he could, "we're going to act as though we are Kayes's prisoners. He's going to lead us to their leader, Jascel. We're going to take them out from the inside,"

Kayes stood up, followed by the rest of them, and then they made their way down the hill towards the small valley. Just before they got to the guards Kayes turned to them and quietly said, "Wait, leave your weapons here,"

Reluctantly they dropped their weapons on the ground.

Kayes led them to the entrance. They didn't see the guards until they emerged from the shadows behind them.

"These people wish to speak with Jascel," Kayes said, "They are interested in joining the Peltist thieves,"

Serias looked back at Milani, who gave him and I-told- you-so look.

"Go ahead," One of them said.

The warriors and Kayes entered the dark passageways of the compound. The dim light from the fires was the only thing keeping the companions on their feet, with all the cracks and rocks on the ground.

They took a left turn and the passageway opened into a dining room. At least that's what it looked like.

"Why did you change the plan?" Serias whispered in Kayes's ear.

"There are seven of you and one of me. If I were a guard and one person brought in 7 un-cuffed prisoners, I'd be suspicious,"

"Good point," Serias said, seeing the logic in it, "Thanks,"

They left the dining room into more dark passageways. They continued for about a hour, taking quick breaks every half an hour or so.

"How long does this base go?" Cassi complained.

"The tunnels stretch for miles under the plains," Serias said, "There are even rumors that the tunnels stretch into Sunlace,"

"That's over a hundred miles," Nalor said.

"No way," Aler said.

"How would they move people that far?" Milani asked.

Serias shrugged.

"You are lucky I know a shorter way out from the throne room," Kayes said.

Suddenly Kayes stopped by one of the doors. The sudden halt caused Nalor to trip over his sister's feet and fall on the hard floor.

"Be more careful," Serias said.

Nalor grumbled something under his breath, but Serias chose to ignore it.

Kayes reached for the handle and opened the door. The large door slid open and revealed an open chamber lit by an eerie white glow that began as small fires on the wall.

The room was about 50ft high and the floor stretched about 30ft by 120. At the end of the long room was a short throne. On the seat an old man sat. He had long red- orange hair, but his skin was wrinkled. The man's sharp green eyes were trained on the new people who dared to enter his domain.

"Who goes there?" His weak voice said,"

The sound echoed throughout the room.

"This is Jascel," Kayes whispered, "It is Kayes Stave! I have brought new recruits!"

"What is he doing?" Milani hissed in Serias's ear.

"Just trust him," Serias said.

"We need to be able to get close enough to attack him," Kayes said, "Do you see that chest?" He asked, "It's magic, it will contain anything that you ask. Think of weapons,"

Serias nodded. Finally they reached the bottom of the throne.

"GO!" Kayes yelled, and dove at the Peltist regional leader, but before he hit the Peltist Kayes was hit by a beam of white light.

"What?" Serias asked as he turned.

But the shot had not come from Milani. Behind them, from the entrance to the room twenty Maliryuth had followed them in.

"Get to the chest!" Milani yelled, and threw a spell into the center on the room.

As the spell hit the floor it exploded into a smokescreen. Soon the entire room saw filled with a thick black smoke. Serias quickly ran through the smoke to where he thought the chest was. He could hear the sounds of spells being cast all around the room.

Serias found the chest and pulled it open. Inside there was a beautifully crafted longsword. The blade was made with a great metal and there were small jewels buried in the hilt.

When he turned around the smoke started to clear. The Peltist leader stood on the throne.

"Kill them!" He yelled at the Maliryuth.

Serias ran to where the Maliryuth stood. When he reached them he chose one to fight and threw the fist blow.

The blow struck the Maliryuth in the head. It went down, but the Serias was plunged into combat with a second one.

Milani stood by Kayes's body and cast any spells she could to help.

Cassi and Nalor worked as a team to kill the Maliryuth. Aler and Halath teamed up to kill a particularly large pair of Maliryuth. Relok had no problem with his two Maliryuth.

Serias stabbed a third in the chest and shoved it down. He tore his sword from its chest and used a fire ball spell to kill another. He looked around for others, and saw only one who was not fighting. Serias took a step just in time to dodge a lightning bolt from another Maliryuth. He recognized the one that was not fighting. It was the same one he had fought in the mountains.

By this time Serias's companions had finished off their Maliryuth. The leader raised his right hand and all of the them were thrown against the walls of the room. Leaving them alone.

"We meet again half-elf," The Maliryuth said to him.

"Who are you?" Serias asked once again.

The Maliryuth sighed.

"I might as well tell you that I am Vadre Baltist the general of the maliryuthian army," He said, "and I am also the death of you. Last time your friends were there to help you, but this time…. Well, you can see for yourself,"

Serias looked around at his friends and then held his sword up to the Maliryuth.

Vadre scoffed, and took his sword from under his robe.

The Maliryuth struck with amazing speed, and Serias barely had enough time to defend himself.

For a while the two swordsman fought, eyes locked, neither daring to take a risk.

Finally the Maliryuth knocked Serias over with a quick spell.

"This has been a good warm-up Serias," Vadre said, "but now show me what you can really do,"

"What do you want with me?" Serias asked.

"That is exceedingly simple Serias," Vadre said,

"I want you dead,"


End file.
